What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

Leon did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked at Rena in surprise before turning to Weiss with equal astonishment.

He had never expected Rena to bring up the matter in front of Weiss. This was supposed to be an issue for the two of them to discuss and resolve. There was no need to drag an outsider into it.

Then again, why was Weiss reacting so strongly?

In Leon's eyes, Weiss had never seemed like the type to have any interest in other people's private affairs.

“It's a fake marriage,” Leon explained. “I'm planning to obtain a noble title and become the lord of this island. Only then can our current situation become more secure.”

“And then the fake marriage turns into a real one?” Rena muttered.

“Rena, I understand. You're right to be angry about this, but our current situation...” Leon tried to persuade her again.

“Stop explaining the reasoning! I understand it! My ears are practically growing calluses from hearing it!” Rena glared at Leon as she interrupted him.

“All right, all right. I won't say any more. Just don't deliberately ignore me. We can't keep going on like this,” Leon quickly raised both hands in surrender. Instead, he actually felt relieved.

For him, Rena saying something to complain was better than continuing to sulk in silence. Anyone who had ever been in a relationship would understand that the hardest part of a conflict wasn't arguing—it was the cold war afterward.

Rena folded her arms and stared at Leon intently.

Eventually, she also let out a long sigh.

She understood perfectly well that remaining deadlocked over this matter was irrational. Sooner or later, they had to make a decision.

After remaining silent for quite some time, she finally asked,

“The Viscount's daughter you mentioned... is she pretty?”

“Well...” Leon hesitated. “Do you want the honest answer?”

Rena had truly hit the most fatal point.

Miss Adele's most outstanding feature was precisely her face.

“You hesitated?” Rena said coldly. “So she's a beauty, then?”

“You're asking a question like that. How could I not hesitate? Objectively speaking, the Viscount's daughter is indeed very beautiful,” Leon replied helplessly.

“More beautiful than Weiss?” Rena pressed further.

Weiss glanced at her.

How had this suddenly become about her?

Still, using her as the standard wasn't exactly strange. She had been chosen as the image of the Saintess precisely because of her outstanding appearance.

For most people, the best-looking individuals they would ever see in their lives were probably the Church's Son of the Church and Saintess during public sermons.

“Well...” Leon hesitated once again.

“The truth!” Seeing Leon hesitate again, Rena immediately had her answer. She repeated the words one by one.

“By my own standards of beauty, Miss Adele is indeed the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,” Leon answered honestly.

This time, not only Rena, but even Weiss felt her heart tighten.

A moment later, Weiss herself was startled by that feeling.

Why do I care whether someone else is prettier than me? What difference does it make? she silently asked herself.

Yet hearing that evaluation from Leon somehow left an uncomfortable heaviness in her heart.

Rena frowned deeply, the dissatisfaction in her eyes growing stronger.

A woman even more beautiful than Weiss, who would also have a marital relationship with Leon?

They could call it a fake marriage all they wanted, but if she didn't feel a sense of crisis, that would have been unbelievable.

“But Rena, she can't compare to you,” Leon continued.

“Forget the comforting lies. I don't want to hear them!” Rena interrupted.

“No. That's my genuine opinion. She truly can't compare to you, and I'm not just talking about your place in my heart. To be honest... I don't really like her,” Leon said.

“You actually think I'd believe that?” Rena replied coldly.

“Rena, when we first met, there was something about you that I deeply respected. You were willing to become a witch, carrying enormous risks, all to save your family and continue researching medicine to cure illness. That's not something ordinary people could do.

“Mrs. Hesh and Melissa also fought desperately for others or for their own goals. They struggled with everything they had. The same goes for Weiss. I deeply admire her dedication to devoting herself to research.” Leon looked toward Weiss as he spoke.

“Th-thank you...” Weiss was caught completely off guard by the sudden praise.

“As for the Viscount's daughter...” Leon continued, “She's the kind of person who has been pampered her entire life. She's never truly suffered or faced real despair. She appears hardworking, but she's putting her efforts into the wrong things. Even though she's already in a terrible situation, she still clings to appearances that no longer matter.”

Leon shook his head gently.

“We're simply not the same kind of people. I honestly can't bring myself to respect her, so I don't like her.”

Rena stared at Leon for a while.

For the time being, she believed he was speaking sincerely.

However, the frown on her face still didn't disappear.

She muttered quietly,

“I'm not worried that you'll fall in love with her... I'm worried you won't be able to resist the temptation.”

“If that's what worries you, perhaps after we've secured the title, we can send her somewhere else?” Leon suggested.

“I...” Rena paused before letting out another long sigh. “That's not what bothers me the most...”

After voicing all those complaints, she understood perfectly well what Leon's objective was.

Marrying the Viscount's daughter was purely for the noble title and the territory. Only by becoming the island's lord could he obtain enough authority to protect everything they had built.

Including protecting her.

But after walking this path together with Leon for so long, hadn't she also dreamed of standing beside the man she loved while wearing a wedding dress?

She had simply buried that wish because the road they had chosen offered no guaranteed future.

Yet now...

The first woman to share that marital relationship with Leon would be someone else.

How could she possibly remain completely indifferent?

“I know,” Leon lowered his eyes.

He also wanted the person standing beside him in a wedding dress to be Rena.

Even a fake marriage bothered him to some extent.

But the degree to which it bothered him could never compare to Rena's feelings.

Because of that, he knew he wasn't really in any position to complain.

From a rational perspective, this was undoubtedly the safest choice.

But people could never be completely rational.

The reason Rena was angry was precisely because she cared about him.

If he meant nothing to her, why would she mind such a thing?

“If you absolutely can't accept it...” Leon looked at Rena.

“I know, I know! I already know it's the safest option!” Rena interrupted irritably before muttering in a small voice, “So what's wrong with letting me stay angry for a few days? Stop lecturing me!”

Leon froze for a moment before finally understanding.

He nodded.

“All right.”

Rena truly was a very reasonable person.

Their situation was still unstable.

The only way forward was to proceed carefully, making the right choices one step at a time.

Only by surviving into the future could they have a future at all.

She simply needed time to work through her emotions.

“...But you have to promise me a few things,” Rena said after another period of silence.

“Go ahead,” Leon replied.

“You can register your marriage with her, but there won't be a wedding ceremony.”

“That was my plan as well,” Leon nodded.

“And when this marriage ends... I'll be the one who decides,” Rena continued.

“At the very least, it'll have to wait until our situation has stabilized...” Leon cautiously reminded her.

Although divorce remained an option after marrying the Viscount's daughter, under Imperial law, any noble title acquired through marriage had to be returned to the rightful claimant once the marriage ceased to exist. That included the original spouse, other legitimate heirs, or even the original titleholder.

However, by that time, if Leon had already built enough real political power through his own efforts or completely taken control of Arend Island by other means, then maintaining the marriage with the Viscount's daughter would no longer be necessary.

“Of course I understand that. I've already chosen to trust you. Are you saying you don't trust me?” Rena asked in return.

“Of course I trust you. I promise,” Leon nodded.

“Then let's leave it at that for now.” Rena let out a breath. “I'm still going to stay angry for at least one more day. You can come comfort me tomorrow. Understood?”

“Understood.”

Hearing that, Leon finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Rena had said that much, at least this matter would more or less come to an end tomorrow.

Only then did the silent Weiss, who had listened to the entire conversation, glance back and forth between them before finally speaking.

“Um...”

Leon and Rena both looked toward her.

After hesitating for a moment, Weiss asked,

“May I go rest for a little while?”

“Of course,” Leon blinked.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

Keeping a blank expression, Weiss walked toward the room partitioned off inside the temple for resting.

After hearing that Leon was getting married, then watching him do everything he could to comfort Rena...

For some reason, it felt as though a heavy stone had settled on Weiss's heart, leaving her weighed down with indescribable sadness.

It clearly had nothing to do with her.

She didn't even have the right to voice an opinion.

Perhaps...

It was precisely because she didn't even possess that right that it hurt so much.

A faint voice deep within her heart quietly whispered those words.

Regardless, she knew one thing for certain.

She couldn't remain in the laboratory in this state.

She needed time to compose herself.

After Weiss left, Rena returned to her work.

Leon likewise had no reason to remain there any longer. After saying goodbye to Rena, he turned and left.

Leaving the Labyrinth, he planned to inspect the progress of the new fortifications inside the stronghold.

At that moment, he heard the urgent sound of galloping horses approaching directly from the fortress gate.

One of his subordinates was returning at full speed with an emergency report.

“Mr. Fenrir!” the subordinate shouted loudly. “Urgent report from the brothers stationed in the Foyle Region! The target fleet has entered port! The target fleet has entered port!!”

Leon's expression immediately turned serious.

From Bishop Beckett, he had already learned which harbor in the Foyle Region the Earl's maritime transport fleet commonly used as its rendezvous point. He had stationed men there to keep watch. The moment a fleet matching the description appeared, they were to ride back at full speed to notify him immediately.

Because that meant...

The fleet led by Johnny Willman had returned from Moirland.

What was destined to come...

Had finally arrived.